Parents

Something that we always have, but not always appreciate.

You always have the chance to lose a friend at an instant, or a girlfriend. But with a parent, it is rarely the case that they give up on you.

I think thats why that people are more negligent with their parents than with anyone else, because parents will be there, whatever we do. We know that its not a big risk if we neglect our parents, but we know that its a big risk if we neglect other people, because we can lose them easier. That is one of the selfish part of the human beings.

As in every relation, both sides have expectations from each other. Parents expect their sons to be successful, well behaved, respectful and so forth. Children expect their parents to be supportive, flexible, understanding and so forth.

I really dont know what makes a good child, or good parent. I know that every child has problems with parents, for many different problems.

I had very different parents, whom didnt have the biggest love marriage, but more based on logic, so i wasnt raised in a great love environment. Towards me they were very loving, but towards each other, not as much. They were different characters, and had differente opinions. The good thing about this was, they were never angry at me for the same reasons, so they never united on getting mad at me, but when one of them was angry at me, the other one was defending me. But the bad thing about this was, there were a bigger variety of topics that they could get mad at me.

They were great parents, and i m always greatful for what they did for me. The schools they sent me, the places they took me, the love they gave to me, the things they thought me.

I think i have become a good combination of my parents. My father is a more work oriented & logical person, while my mother is more human oriented & emotinal woman. My father is hardworking, disciplined, very witty, a great lecturer and well planned, yet lacking in empathy, human relations and decision making. My mother is emotional, humane, a good communicator and mediator, a very open personality but lacking in determination, directness and selfishness ( i think every one shall be a bit selfish, because if you give too much, people want more and more ). Thats why i m saying, i think i m a good combination of my parents. The nice thing is, they are both beautiful:)

I love them of course, but after high school, i was sure that i wouldnt want to live with them anymore in the same house, so i moved to another city for my university studies. And it turned out better, because being away, i was avoiding stupid arguments caused of living together, and this way, we knew our worth better, while a person you love is more precious when he is far away. And when we met, we had a lot to catch up and talk about.

Now its harder, since i m further away, but i tried to go as much as i can ( 4 times in 6 months ).

I also had hard times concerning my parents. My mother had cancer about 8 years ago, yet she survived it quickly due to early diagnosis. But still it was hard to see her head shaved and with low morale. The harder thing is, my father, who also has cancer now and was diagnosed quite lately, and giving a harder battle now. The worst thing is, this happened right after i left for Brussels, first i heard my father puked when they brought me to the airport, and in one month, i got the news that he has cancer. He is still fighting it, and i believe he will manage. It is quite hard to be far away, busy with your mind at them all the time.

I think i gave them the best present by being successful and respectful towards them so far, because they always tell how proud they are of me, and this is my biggest reward in my life.

Parents are always there, but they wont come back once they are gone. So make sure you spend enough time with them before its too late.

:)

Espain

There are several reasons why Spain is a special country and culture for me, ranging from its inevitable stereotypes that has a bit of truth, to its open minded people, from its nice weather ( sometimes too hot ) to constant fun and much more. Apart from the typical reasons, i have exclusive reasons to love Spain as well. Very good friends, a girl whom i fell in love in the past, or the great news that i got when i was in Spain, such as the acceptance of my masters in Belgium. So there is no wonder why i choosed Spain for my 3 weeks vacation, which ended today. Being a meditterenean person, i very much find many things similar with my own culture to Spanish culture, such as generosity, hospitality and openness. At the beginning of my vacation, i flew to Valencia, where i was picked up by a very good friend, Marta and her mother, visiting them for a day, getting to know typical Spanish cuisine, especially paella, a typical Valencian dish. I tried to communicate with Marta’s parents with my extremely poor Spanish, but we managed to get along quite qwell. In the evening, we have met with some friends from AEGEE-Valencia and went out to drink ‘ cerveze ‘, what they call beer.

The next day, my trip to Alicante started, a city that is 2 hours away from Valencia, with another friend from Valencia called Mercedes, driving me there. She drove me to Calpe, a city near Alicante that is famous by its beach, and where my Summer University was waiting for me. After we arrived there, in one day, i felt how exhausted and down i was feeling, and my body fell sick, putting me in ‘ bed ‘ for 3 days, puking. After recovering, i spent a few more days in Alicante till the end of the event, and went back to Valencia, to rest after an intensive week, and getting ready for another intensive event in the following days. I had to go from Valencia to Santander, which is a 12 hours road journey, first stopping at Madrid and then taking anoher bus to Santander, watching Spanish movies on the way.

After a long ride, finally i was in Sandanter, where i had so many old friends to see and catch up with. I was picked up by a friend whom i’ve met 3 years ago in another Summer University. After refreshing some memories, we went to our destination, where all the participants were. I saw many old friends, whom i shared many memories in the past. I hugged them and we talked what we have done since the last time we met. Meanwhile, during my Spain vacation, i got the news that i was accepted for the masters programme in Leuven University for my next year, which is an important milestone in my personal and professional life. I also got the good news that i was accepted for a blogging competition in Denmark, while i am a blogger myself, and consider myself quite good at it. In Santander and Leon Summer University, we visited several places, from Oviedo to Bilbao, from Gijon to Salamanca and many more, from many various activities from rafting to sightseeing, from dancing to visiting muesums. I spent amazing 3 weeks in a country whose culture i really like and find similar to mine in many aspects, with friends that i really enjoy spending time with and look up to. After many negative things that has happened in my life, this 3 weeks were very helpful for my mental and spiritual health for the next busy year, where i will be busy with my studies and my project ‘ Where Does Europe End ? ‘ in general.

P.S. Thank to all Alicante, Valencia, Santander, Oviedo and Leon people for sharing this 3 wonderful weeks with me.